Essay 3rd Draft TGM

Josh Comune
Ms. Guarino 
IB Lit Performance 
February 27, 2018

The Rise & Fall of Laura's Character Stemmed off the Presence of Jim O'Connor

   In the play The Glass Menagerie, the highlighted theme of Laura's character throughout the play is hopelessness. Since high school, Laura has never been able to overcome her inferiority complex and escape the realms of her home. Act 2 Scene 8 is a changing point in the constant theme of hopelessness in Laura's life. Why is this you may ask? The main reason for Laura's change is solely based off of Jim O'Connor, who is an old crush of Laura back from high school and is reintroduced in Act 2 Scene 8. Once Jim tells Laura they can't be together at the end of the scene, Laura will again find herself in the same hopeless position she has always been in. From the moment Jim O'Connor enters the play, he has an effect on Laura.   The literary analysis I am going to explore throughout this paper is how Laura's character progresses, and digresses throughout Act 2 Scene 8 is directly stemmed of of the presence and actions of Jim O'Connor on stage. 

   Act 2 Scene 8 begins dark with Jim and Laura facing the audience. They are siting on opposite  sides of each other near a single candle. Laura is noticeably distant from Jim when the scene starts. Dim lights focus on Jim and Laura while they start to converse. The light is dim to represent the slim hope in the beginning of scene. The lighting is important to this scene because it has a symbolic meaning of Jim being the hope in Laura's life. The language exchanged between Jim and Laura is unique to the scene. Jim is very genuine. He shows real interest and care for Laura. He asks her questions like, "So what have you been doing since high school?" Laura shows that she is extremely nervous talking by her shaky responses. As Jim, I present myself with a  strong voice and I have a confidence that is unmatched by Laura on stage. Jim uses this strategy to ease Laura into an in depth conversation. While talking, I am constantly moving around, getting closer to Laura and making a lot of eye contact. I even boast a bit about how I overcame my inferiority complex. The lights focus on my blocking. I pace from down left stage, to down right stage, where Laura is sitting while talking. It seems Jim has a sense of always having the right thing to say. I ask Laura about her glass collection and she decides to get up and lead me to view it. The glass is situated center up stage on a table.  When we are by the table the lights focus on the glass menagerie set. This turned out to be a nice touch especially when Laura hands me her favorite piece. "Hold him up to the light. He loves the light." Laura's line really helps emphasize how the unicorn is supposed to shine through the light.  Music starts to play shortly after I set the glass piece down. This is when Jim and Laura walk onto the bridge that is positioned far center up stage. Bright lights focus on the bridge when we start our dance. Jim and Laura are shown as equals in the dance. This is the first time where Laura is shown to have a mutual relationship with Jim. When the unicorn falls off the bridge railing to the floor, the music is cut. The lights are dimmed and focus on center up stage where Jim and Laura now stand. The dim light stays the same all the way until the end of the scene. Dancing with Jim was the climax of Laura's character development in my interpretation of the play, and this is shown through the lighting.  



   By portraying Jim's language and actions throughout, I am able to create this sense of hope for Laura. My lines as Jim show a very energetic outgoing character. As Jim, I show true genuine care for Laura. I have a lot of long passages where I tend to energetically ramble on about how Laura needs to change. "For instance that clump you said was so awful in high school? You said you dreaded going up stairs?... Its hardly even noticeable A little defect is all you got. Magnified a thousand times by your imagination" (Williams page 60)  This passage shows that  Jim does care for Laura, and he really wants to help by giving advice on how she can overcome her shyness. I show this through my character's lines. I almost pleading to Laura that she needs to see herself in good light. "You need to think of yourself as superior in someway."(Williams Page 60) This line is asking for Laura to see herself with self worth. The response Laura's gives to Jim is very subtle, and not something Jim is looking for. "In what way would I think?"(Page 60 line 19)  Her short and quiet responses tells the audience, and me as Jim that Laura is still not confident in herself. By responding with another long passage, Jim continuously rambles, "Man alive Laura. Take a look around you and tell me what you see? A world full of common people all of them born and going to die! Now tell which one of them has one tenth of your strong points!... Take me for example I have a fairly responsible job at the warehouse, and I'm taking a course in public speaking!"(Williams Page 60)  By inspiring Laura, by giving my own personal examples on how I overcame my inferiority complex, she starts to feel more comfortable in the presence of Jim. This is important because after she feels comfortable, I then turn the attention off myself  and onto Laura, who at this point feels more inclined to share her interests with Jim. The is because of Jim's authenticity. Jim's personality starts to work its magic on Laura's character. Laura starts to open up when Jim asks about her glass collection. Laura for the first time in the entire play shows that she is capable of having deep and meaningful conversations with someone from outside the family.  "Little articles of it, mostly ornaments. Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world" (Williams page. 61)  Her character shows great development and starts to shun from her introverted ways for the first time in the entire play. Jim's charming personality and by showing interests in her glass collection ables Laura to change.



   The relationship between Jim and Laura acts like a teeter-totter in Act 2 Scene 8. There are both high and extreme low points throughout the scene. Laura is extremely shy once she starts to converse with Jim by the candle. This part of the scene can be portrayed as Laura being inferior since there is no progression in character development yet, and Jim would be on the higher part of the teeter-totter. However, we see real progression in Laura later on in the scene. Laura's introverted character has a climax in character development in Act 2 Scene 8. She starts to fall in love with Jim while they dance. This is shown through the lighting  in our scene. Laura feels comfortable with Jim at this point in the play, and doesn't care when her favorite piece of glass breaks. Jim on the other hand is concerned and feels really bad about himself. This is when the momentum of the play shifts in Laura favor and Jim becomes the less dominant character in the scene. Her responses to Jim, "Oh I don't have favorites much... much Its no tragedy. Glass break so easily. No matter how careful you are." (Williams Page 63 ) This line shows progression in Laura's character not to care that her favorite piece of glass broke. The reason she doesn't care is that she is hopeful for the future her and Jim will share. This is when Jim starts to complement Laura a great deal to regain his dominance. "Did anyone ever tell you that you were pretty? Well you are and in a different way than anyone else and all nicer because of the difference." (Williams Page 63)  This passage opens the doors for the kiss Jim gives Laura and the uncovering of discouraging news.  Everything that Jim had previously said and did with Laura makes her feel hopeful. When Jim breaks the news that he has a fiancé at the end of Act 2 Scene 8, this is the death of Laura's character development. Her digression is directly stemmed off of Jim's line "You see now Laura... Well... Ive been going steady with a girl named Betty. Oh she's a nice quiet home girl like you." (Williams Page 64) The remorse in Jim's voice heard on stage is to show the audience that all his actions leading up to this moment where really in Laura's best interest. Laura quickly reverts once she learns about Jim's love for another women. We show this by having Laura cry on stage when I am trying to explain myself. This is when Laura's position as the dominant character is killed, and this is in direct correlation to the teeter-totter metaphor where Jim would be higher again.  Laura's once hopeful personality has now directly reverted to how she was in the beginning of the scene: shy, and introverted.  Laura realizes that all the hope for a future relationship with Jim is crushed in this moment.  I as Jim show remorse for my actions and apologize if there was a misunderstanding, The theme of hope in this scene is then overtaken by the inevitable time of hopelessness in the play.

   Act 2 Scene 8 is the peak for Laura's character development in The Glass Menagerie. Jim is the main reason for why Laura is able to experience things. When Laura says, "I've never danced before"(Williams Page 62) she is truly expanding her horizon with Jim. This is where the sense of hope for Laura's character reaches the peak. Going all the way back to high school Jim was always seen as hope in the eyes of Laura. After the kiss, Jim then starts to break the unsettling news to Laura that they can never be together.  Laura quickly digresses when she learns this about Jim. By giving Jim the broken glass unicorn I interpreted  it as a symbolic death for Laura's character. We could've of really emphasized  this on stage by having Laura ecstatically cry while handing Jim the broken glass unicorn. Laura would then slowly step back away from Jim back to the exact spot she sat in the beginning of the play. The dim lights would be killed, and the scene would end completely black. This would complete the cycle of the rise and fall of Laura. All of Laura's progression was based off the actions and lines of Jim. Laura knows that she will never be able to expand her horizon without Jim, therefore Act 2 Scene 8 is the ultimate climax of development in Laura's life.

Work Cited:

Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie, New York, NY, The University of the South, 1976